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Guild Realm Transfer, Faction Change and other services now available

Do you want to rename your guild, move to a new server, or change the guild's faction? Now you can! Blizzard's just announced the new Guild Services, and they're a fairly extensive lot. Having jumped servers with guilds twice now, and having seen a guild jump both servers and factions, I think this is pretty darn exciting news for anyone considering any of these changes. It'll help with holding on to guild resources, guild identity, and should make that horrible feeling of being on a new server without a tag waiting for someone to scoop you back up a thing of the past.

You can read the text of the announcement at the official site and we'll have it after the jump, of course.

New Guild Services FAQ

We are in the process of adding new guild services that will make relocating to a new realm, switching factions, or changing your guild name easier than ever before. Relocating your guild to a new realm or faction with this new service will keep your guild structure intact, including the guild leader, guild bank, ranks, and guild name (depending on availability). You won't even need to pack.

Guild members who decide to relocate with their guild may initiate their own paid character transfer. Upon a successful transfer they will automatically be part of the guild when they first log into the new realm. Their guild rank and guild reputation will be intact. Guild leaders who do not want a change of scenery may also choose to pick a new guild name using another new service.

As a part of the process for adding these new services, we are launching on a single realm (Illidan-US) to perform additional testing for stability and functionality. We expect to be able to add additional realm availability to the service, including EU realms, in the coming days and weeks.

Q. What are the guild services for World of Warcraft?A. Three guild services are available: Guild Master Realm Transfer, Guild Master Faction Change, and Guild Name Change. These services can only be initiated by a character who is a Guild Master.

Q. How much do these services cost?A. When purchased individually, the Guild Master Faction Change costs $40 US, the Guild Master Realm Transfer costs $35 US, and the Guild Name Change costs $20 US. You will receive a $10 discount when purchasing Guild Transfer and Faction Change in the same transaction, for a new total of $65 US. In addition, one Guild Name Change is free with the purchase of either a Guild Master Faction Change or Guild Master Realm Transfer. All sales of guild services are final -- no refunds will be given once a purchase is made.

Q. Do taxes apply to these services?A. Players in select states in the U.S. may be subject to taxation when using a guild service. This includes but is not limited to:-New Mexico -Texas

Q. Aside from being a Guild Master, are there any other requirements for the character that initiates a guild service?A. The Guild Master must meet the same requirements governing the equivalent character-level service (such as Character Transfer), including being at least level 10 (except for Guild Name Change) on an account in good standing. View the Character Transfer FAQ or Faction Change FAQ for more details. In addition, the Guild Master's Battle.net account must be protected by a Battle.net Authenticator or a Battle.net Authenticator that has been active for at least three days (starting at the time of the first Authenticator-protected login to the game) before a guild service can be initiated. If additional security-related requirements apply to your character, they will be brought to your attention when you initiate a guild service.

Q. Are there any requirements for the guild to be able to undergo a guild service?A. A guild must be at least level 2 to undergo a Guild Master Realm Transfer or Faction Change. There is no level requirement for a Guild Name Change.

Q. How do the two "Guild Master" services work?A. When performing a Guild Master Realm Transfer or Guild Master Faction Change, only the Guild Master character transfers realms or switches factions. The Guild Master takes the framework of the guild as well, including the guild vault, level, perks, and achievements.

Q. What happens to my guild members?A. Your guild members remain in the original guild. The original guild will be reset to level 1 and will not retain its guild bank or any of its achievements, reputation, or progression. You will also select a new Guild Master from the guild roster to replace you after your character leaves. Your guild members will be eligible to follow you to the guild's new location by performing their own character service (such as a Character Transfer). If they do so, they will automatically rejoin the guild and retain their guild reputation. Guild members who plan to transfer to the guild's new location should not quit the original guild – otherwise, they will not regain their guild reputation after transferring to guild's new location.

Q. What happens to my guild bank, level, and so on?A. The guild bank, level, perks, and achievements transfer with the Guild Master character to the new realm and/or faction.

Q. Will individual members' guild reputation be retained when they rejoin the guild?A. The Guild Master character will retain his or her reputation after transferring, and guild members who decide to transfer will regain their guild reputation when they rejoin the guild at its new location. However, there are two notable exceptions where this does not occur: if the guild member transfers realms before the Guild Master, or if the guild member quits the guild on the original realm before transferring realms.

Q. Is there anything that doesn't transfer with the Guild Master?A. Besides your guild members, the only thing that doesn't transfer is your guild rank structure. You will have to reassign ranks at the new location.

Q. How will my guild members know when this happens and how to follow me?A. After a Guild Master service is complete, your guild members will receive an in-game mail with instructions on how to follow you. They will be directed to Battle.net account management to initiate their own character service(s), which will need to be purchased separately. This process will be streamlined, so options such as the destination realm and/or faction will be preconfigured.

Q. Will there be an out-of-game notification of a guild realm transfer or faction change?A. No, the only notification will be the in-game mail delivered to your guild members.

Q. How long will a player be eligible to follow a Guild Master after a realm transfer or faction change?A. There is no time limit on following a Guild Master to a new location, as long as the guild member does not leave the current guild before Guild Master Realm Transfer or Faction Change is complete. If a guild member leaves a guild that has moved to a new location, or joins a new guild, the member's reputation with that guild will be wiped after 30 days.

Q. Are there any requirements for a guild member who wants to follow a Guild Master Realm Transfer or Faction Change?/A. The guild member must meet the requirements of the character service they are undergoing (Character Transfer or Faction Change), including being at least level 10 and on an account in good standing. For the complete list of requirements, refer to the Character Transfer FAQ or the Faction Change FAQ.

Q. How long does a guild service take?A. Under normal conditions, a guild service takes one to two hours to complete, but please allow up to several days.

Q. Is there a cooldown period for guild Realm Transfers, Faction Changes, or Name Changes?A. The cooldown periods for guild services are the same as their related character-level services. For more information on these services, please refer to the Character Transfer FAQ or the Faction Change FAQ.

Q. What happens if I transfer my guild to a realm where my guild name is taken?A. If your guild name is taken on the destination realm, you'll be prompted to pick a new name for your guild during the realm transfer process on the Battle.net website.

Q. Can I customize my character and name when doing a faction change?A. Yes, the same character customization options offered in the Appearance Change service are included in a Guild Master Faction Change.

Q. I'm ready to move my guild! How do I initiate a Guild Master Realm Transfer or Guild Master Faction Change?A. Before initializing a guild service, make sure you've created a Billing Profile. (Learn how to create one.) Step-by-step instructions on performing a guild service can be found here: